Determined to never make the mistakes of the past, Elena, only wants to help people, which is why she works in the medical field. Yet, her world starts to collide as she meets a man from the past the same time she realizes the patients are mysteriously dying. Soon, her strange pregnancy, her past and her present are all consuming and her life maybe in jeopardy.

You can pick up the whole series over at that link above and please let me know what you think.

Chapter 14

Somehow she got her brain together to make it inside of the building and start meeting the staff. The most important person she was introduced to was Hope Jona Black, but most people called her Jona. She was a former homeless person and recently married a friend of friend. She was the outreach person for the center where she helped the elderly who were homeless find resource and helped the facility find funding in order to care for everyone who didn’t have the funds to afford to stay.

Jona was a very nice black woman with the curliest hair and a warm smile. She spoke well even though she was just getting her associate degree at almost thirty years of age. “That’s because I know how to mimic my betters,” she equated her speech.

Standing at a medium height and size, the only thing that really stood out about her was that she had the most extraordinarily colored eyes and she was going on six months pregnant.

“The thing that makes this facility different from other old folk homes,” she explained to Elena. “Is that here they actually cater to the homeless. People who have been on the streets most of their lives or who have no way to trace who they are. I’m so glad my husband found me this job, because I was driving him crazy not doing something I was passionate about. I was born on the streets and I love knowing my street knowledge comes in handy for something like this.”

Pholsom spoke highly of Jona and how she had helped a lot of the residents get identification in order to get benefits. “Without Jona’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to keep a lot of residence and not been able to keep the facility in the borderline of black if she had not found the funding the residents needed in order to stay here. She’s a benefit to us.”

Jona beamed and blushed at the same time.

“I have to check some things and see when the lawyer is coming so we can sign the papers,” Pholsom said. “Jona, could you please finish showing Elena around?”

When he was gone, Elena asked if there was a place she could freshen up and get some water. She called the hospital and was glad to reach the nurse on the desk instead of Lori.

“Are you coming back soon?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, you sound like I’m missed.”

“Well, things get done when you’re here,” the nurse admitted. “We all like having you about instead of Lori, and…” She signed in misery. “And I think… well, I think some things have come up missing.”

“Like what?” Elena asked in concern.

“Some drugs,” the nurse said. “And some other things.”

“Have you told administration?”

“Why? They’d only go back and tell Lori, when I think she’s stole them.”

Sighing, knowing what she must do, she said, “When I get back Monday, I’ll look into everything. Make me a list and I’ll look into it, I promise.”

“Thanks, Elena,” the nurse said gratefully.

“Can you give me Mr. Bradshaw’s vitals and then let me speak to him if he’s awake, please?”

The nurse gave her Sloan’s vitals for the day and then transferred the call into his room.

“How are you doing?” Sloan asked tiredly.

“I’m fine, Sloan. Did I wake you?” she asked with concern.

“No, Elena, I was getting some much needed rest. Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

“Oh no. Not a bit.” She had almost forgotten she would be marrying him. Everything felt so natural and so right about this decision and with the discovery around her home, she was happy to get this done as soon as possible. “Sloan, will all your children be present?”

“Only Pholsom will come. I haven’t asked Phoenix. I know it will be hard on him to leave the house. He’s aware of this marriage though and happy for me; happy you could help us.”

“I haven’t met him, yet. Shouldn’t I meet him?”

“He’s around and once I get out of the hospital I’ll make sure that will be directly possible.”

She wondered briefly why couldn’t Pholsom introduce her to Phoenix? If she wasn’t too distracted by their time together, she would insist later on… or tomorrow. “Do you need me to bring you anything? I took the day off.”

“And you deserve to do that? Pholsom let me know you’d be spending time together.”

“Really? He’s spoken to you already?”

“Yes,” he said as if that was obviously. “That’s good. I’m glad about this. You’re very much appreciated and cared very deeply about in this family, Elena.”

She relaxed. “Thank you, Sloan.”

“No, thank you Elena. Thank you very much for understanding the idiosyncrasies of our family. I want to give you a premarital gift, so I’ve arranged a day spa tomorrow and insisted the hospital allow you to go.”

A day spa would never be imagined on her salary and she was excited to go.

“There’s a fitting and also I’ve arranged dinner at Gaston’s at my private booth.”

Gaston’s was one of the most expensive restaurants in Detroit and to know Sloan had a private booth was amazing. Getting a booth or private room at Gaston’s second and third floor was a rarity. Sotheby’s in New York had just auctioned one off for one hundred thousand dollars. Most times the rooms were owned by businesses or whole families and other times people partnered to have one like a time share.

“Thank you, Sloan. Please get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow for a brief visit.”

After going to the bathroom, Jona told her directions to the kitchen. In the bathroom, Elena felt the dizziness coming again and she leaned over to the sink in case her stomach decided to release anything out of her mouth.

After a moment, when she had her balance, she joined Jona in the back kitchen. Jona handed her some water.

“Are you okay?” Jona asked.

“Yes, I’ve only drunk coffee today and my balance is off. I’m guessing it’s because of the baby-“

“Oh, you’re pregnant?”

It felt nice to share the news with another new mother. Smiling happily, Elena said, “Yes. I’m just getting started, but I can’t wait to see how I look when I’m as far along as you are.”

“So that would be two things we have in common. You use your second name like I do. Only my husband calls me by my first name.”

She wanted to make sure Jona had her cell phone number and reached in her purse to get her wallet. Just as she pulled it out, Onyx Heart’s card fell out and Jona bent down to pick it up. When Jona read it a look of horror came to her face.

“You know Onyx Heart?” Jona asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes. She’s helping me out. You know her?”

“I wish I didn’t.” Jona looked as if there was a bad taste in her mouth. “She’s not a very nice person when she wants something, but my husband has assured me she’d keep her distance from me at least while I’m pregnant.”

“What do you mean keep her distance?”

“She wants something I know. Onyx actually is having problem on her own finding some things out and she thinks I’m just the key to something big.” She looked as if the room had dropped twenty degrees. Goose bumps were on her arm and she rubbed them away. “I think I don’t mind the pregnancy one bit as long as it keeps her away from me. What is she doing for you?”

“Finding out some information about a colleague.”

“Use her and then leave it alone,” Jona warned. “She’s just too much to handle and she’s never going to change.”

“When you say bother you, what do you mean?”

“Onyx Heart has a way to do whatever is necessary in order to get what she wants and hurting others isn’t an inhibition.”

A shiver went down Elena’s spine at the thought of what this Onyx Heart would do in order to get the information she needed. Was she going to hurt someone?

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jona just makes a brief appearance but if anyone has read Hope Is Love, Onyx has a hard on for Jona and who she knows. Jona met a lot of ppl out on the streets – people who don’t want to be found by anyone and Onyx wants to know something that only jona knows.

Like Jona says, Onyx is a woman who’d do anything … and I mean anything to get what she wants when it’s something she wants.